Forum
What is DR@W Forum?
DR@W Forum is an interdisciplinary discussion series which focuses on theoretical and empirical research about decision making.
The usual structure of the forum is a 30 - 45 minute introduction of the topic/working paper, with ample additional time for discussion.
The audience prefers discussing work-in-progress topics as opposed to finished papers. We meet on Thursdays between 2:30 and 3:45pm during term time. Contact John Taylor (John.Taylor[at]wbs.ac.uk) if you would like to suggest a speaker for a future event. Notifications of upcoming DR@W Forum events along with other decision research related activities can be obtained by registering with the moderated mailing list - email behaviour_spotlight at newlistserv dot warwick dot ac dot uk to be added to the list.
If you attend DR@W please take some time to fill in our survey It helps us understand who our audience are and how we can widen participation.
DR@W/EBER Seminar: Bjorn Bartling (Zurich)
Abstract: Paternalistic policies play a key role in the relationship between citizens and government, yet systematic evidence on public support for different types of paternalism remains limited. This study examines preferences for soft versus hard paternalism using a large-scale, between-subjects survey experiment with nationally representative samples from 58 countries and approximately 60,000 participants. Globally, we find a widespread preference for soft paternalism, which does not restrict individual autonomy, over hard paternalism, which does. These preferences predict support for specific paternalistic policies. We document substantial variation within and across countries, with preferences differing systematically by demographics such as age, education, religiosity, and urban vs. rural setting. These preferences are also associated with economic development and political institutions. To structure our findings, we introduce a conceptual framework and conduct exploratory analyses suggesting that economic shocks and exposure to regime transitions—democratic or autocratic—shape preferences for individual autonomy.